Bubblegum Cris-Icz 2: Bumpy Road
by IczelPrime
Summary: The second part of the Cris-Icz, wherein Sean finally gets more involved with the Knight Sabers, in more ways than one.
1. Episode 1: Burning Highway

Disclaimer: all characters, mecha, events, etc. depicted here   
are the property of their creators. This is not a challenge   
of any sort to that ownership, so please don't sue me, I have   
no money!  
  
Explanations:  
-Notation: I will be using several types of narration in this   
fan fiction. It will be punctuated as   
"Speech",   
[Thought],   
and {Sending (using some form of mental communication.)}   
I will also use some of the Internet punctuation for emphasis,   
ranging from   
'slight',   
through _medium_,   
*strong*,   
and SHOUTING!   
  
Characters:  
  
(Note: (#) indicates the BG Cris-Icz episode in which the   
character first appears.)  
  
(1)Sean Kai;   
Son of Nagisa and our main character. He's 17 years old,   
rather short, at only 5' 9" tall (and growing), has brown   
hair, brown eyes, and is well-built. He's good at wrestling   
and several martial arts, and his training and natural   
agility have combined to make him incredibly hard to hit -   
as long as he can dodge. He's also *very* strong-willed, to   
the point where he could win a staredown with either Priss   
or Sylia.  
  
(1)Iczel (Normal Type);   
Nagisa's partner as an Iczelion and soon Sean's as well. A   
brief note on capabilities; the basic functions of each   
Iczelion are the same, including firing energy beams,   
creating force fields and beam swords, and the changing or   
concealing of the human's features to keep from being   
recognized. The 'higher functions' of an Iczelion   
partnership are determined by the partners, however: Sean's   
are, as yet, unknown.  
  
(1)Priscilla (Priss) Asagiri;   
Lead singer of "Priss and the Replicants," a popular rock   
band. Also a secret member of the Knight Sabers, serving as   
the assault specialist. Sean has seen Priss sing, and   
idolizes her as a rebel and (though he won't admit this) as   
a sex symbol.  
  
(1)Leon McNichol;   
The best detective in the A.D. Police and leader of their   
'tactical response teams,' or 'Tac Squads' for short. He and   
Sean don't know each other, but have bumped elbows at Priss'   
concerts.  
  
(1)Nene Romanova;   
At 19, one of the youngest computer/communications   
specialists in the A.D. Police - and made even more special   
by the fact that she serves the Knight Sabers in a similar   
way, albeit from a hardsuit and not from HQ. She doesn't   
know Sean either, but is the closest Knight Saber to his 17   
years of age. Her perpetual 'cute and innocent' attitude is   
a nice balance for the grimness of the BGC series.  
  
(1)Mackie Stingray;   
Sylia Stingray's teenage brother and a friend of Sean's ever   
since the two met at Raven's Garage in 2030. Mackie lost a   
bet to Sean and had to soup up Sean's prized motorcycle.   
Mackie is a technical assistant to the Knight Sabers and a   
bit of a lecher, but he has a secret that he may not be aware   
of... (see Sylia Stingray)  
  
(1)Sylia Stingray;   
Founder and leader of the Knight Sabers, inventor of their   
unique "hardsuit" combat armor, and daughter of the renowned   
Doctor Katsuhito Stingray, who invented Cyberdroids, the   
artificial humanoids now called "Boomers." Sylia always acts   
cold and distant, and there is good reason for this. In the   
BGC: Grand Mal comic series (Available from Dark Horse   
Comics,) it was revealed that, in order to counter the abuse   
that GENOM was certain to put his inventions to, Dr.   
Stingray used an experimental nanotech process on his two   
children, changing their brain structure biomechanically to   
give them hyperintelligence. Sylia sometimes wonders if   
she's even human anymore...  
  
(1)Linna Yamazaki;   
An aerobics and martial arts teacher at the Fitness Bee, one   
of MegaTokyo's more successful health clubs. She's also the   
close combat specialist of the Knight Sabers, and is   
currently Sean's martial arts instructor, having been   
impressed by how well he did (before losing) in a match they   
fought in 2031.  
  
  
Previously:  
At the end of Iczelion Act 2, the enemy leader Chaos is not   
yet defeated, and the mystery of where the Iczels' creators   
(the Iczers) are is unresolved. In "my" timeline, it takes   
the Iczelions three years to finally destroy Chaos and his   
forces. After that, three of the Iczelions - Nami Shiina,   
Black Iczelion, Kiro Ijima, the Gold Iczelion, and Kawaii   
Kawaii, Silver Iczelion, decide to leave Earth and search   
for the Iczers. Nagisa Kai and her Iczel partner remain   
behind. Nagisa pursues her wrestling career, using a "noble   
alien warrior" character gimmick and becoming quite rich.   
In 2010, she marries, and in 2015, her son, Sean Kai, named   
for his grandfather, is born. Unfortunately, Brian, the   
father, becomes a vocal anti-GENOM protester and dies in a   
"mugging" in 2020. Sean is scanned by Iczel and proves to   
be able, as his mother is, to 'synchronize' with an Iczel   
to create Iczelion. Under the guise of preparing him for a   
pro wrestling career, Nagisa begins training Sean to   
succeed her as the defender of the Earth. Sean is, in fact,   
the main character of our story.  
  
In early 2032, Nagisa Kai is injured while training in   
Germany and cannot return to MegaTokyo to continue stopping   
rogue Boomers. She phones Sean at home and arranges to   
introduce him to Iczel. Unfortunately, the introduction   
does not go well as Sean deduces that his seemingly   
independent life has been guided toward joining Iczel for   
years. Sean sends Iczel away, but not before she raises some   
points that eat at Sean's conscience. Sean goes to the   
Fitness Bee to speak to Linna, his current sensei, but she's   
busy. Sean spars with a training Boomer to pass the time and   
in his disturbed emotional state, first damages and then   
destroys it. Linna witnesses this and talks to Sean, but the   
way he phrases his 'moral question' makes Linna suspicious.   
She gives Sean some advice, which leads to Sean reconciling   
with Iczel.  
  
In his first combat action as Iczelion, Sean engages and   
destroys a C-class Boomer that escaped an A.D. Police   
blockade. He meets Leon McNichol afterward and is mentioned   
in a report given to Nene, who shows it to Sylia. She   
deduces that Iczelion uses a force-field defense system and   
determines to watch for this new player.   
  
In April, Sean has to break off a training session with   
Linna so she can take the day to cheer up her friend Irene   
Can (See BGC 2: Born To Kill.) Hearing Linna's cry of   
distress as the assassin Boomer tries to kill her, Sean works   
his way ahead of the chase and crashes his 'cycle into the   
Boomer, saving Irene's life. The Boomer tries again, but   
Linna flees with Irene while Sean distracts the killer   
machine. He himself is unable to break away to become   
Iczelion, and almost dies before Sylia arrives in her   
hardsuit in response to a call from Linna. The two note a   
mutual attraction, but write it off as stress reactions.  
  
Later that night, Iczel detects the Knight Sabers on their   
way to the Kawasaki facility to kill the SuperBoomer. Sean   
follows as Iczelion, and interjects himself into the battle   
between Nene and an assassin Boomer. The SuperBoomer arrives,   
but is destroyed when its head armour is stripped away by   
the Knight Sabers and Sean drives two beam swords into its   
head and detonates them. Sylia, fascinated by the   
capabilities and compassion of the mystery warrior, tries to   
call him to them, but Sean flees, fearing she'll recognize   
his voice from earlier that night. The next morning, Sean   
and Linna see Irene onto a plane bound for Hong Kong, where   
she has relatives and should be safe from GENOM.  
  
Two months later, Brian J. Mason lures the Knight Sabers into   
a trap at Wiz Laboratories with a fake job offer. Modified   
55-C Boomers use chest-mounted sonic projectors to render the   
Sabers helpless.   
  
Sean, following the Sabers as Iczelion, uses his forcefield   
to damp out the sound, and destroys the Boomers. Sean and   
Sylia talk for the first (?) time as Iczelion and Knight   
Saber, neither knowing that they've been aquainted for years,   
through Mackie. One Boomer, only damaged, attacks Sean. He   
destroys it with a German Suplex, again raising Linna's   
suspicions, as she knows how much he likes that move. The   
next morning, she confronts him about it, but can't express   
her full knowledge without giving away her role as a Knight   
Saber. She remains suspicious, but can't prove anything.  
  
  
David Gordon's  
Bubblegum Crisis/Iczelion crossover:  
  
Bubblegum Cris-Icz 2: Bumpy Road!  
  
  
Chapter 1: Burning Highway!  
  
It was a late July evening in MegaTokyo, and J.B. Gibson was   
taking his newly restored Griffon Mark II out for a spin. He   
was really pleased at how well he and Doctor Raven had   
rebuilt the car, which had been a wreck when Gibson had   
acquired it from an auto yard. He was even happier that his   
girlfriend Naomi Anderson had decided to come with him on   
the Griffon's maiden voyage.   
  
"After all," she'd joked, "if I'm going to have competition   
for you, I might as well see what she's like and what she   
can do!" Both she and Gibson had laughed at that joke.   
Restoring the car, even with 'Pops' Raven's help, had taken   
a lot of Gibson's time. Now, though, driving it was   
something they could do together. Gibson was shaken from   
his reminiscing by Naomi's worried voice.  
  
"Gib?" she asked. "Those people behind us - they're not one   
of those motorcycle gangs, are they?"  
  
Gibson shot a look into the rearview mirror. There were a   
fleet of at least ten motorcycles closing in behind them.   
Gibson had seen their emblems before on the news.  
  
"Oh, dammit, the Outrider gang!" Gibson cried. "Hang on,   
Naomi, I'm going to try and outrun them!"  
  
The gang leader smirked as the gray car in front of them   
began to pull away. [Now the fun begins,] he thought,   
pulling a crowbar from his cargo basket. He accelerated   
after his prey, his pack following behind.  
  
  
Sean and Iczel, as Iczelion, were out on a training flight   
near the Coastal Highway Bridge when Iczel reported several   
vehicles moving towards them on the highway at an unusually   
high speed. Sean paused in the flying evasion pattern he was   
practicing. {Hmm. That's unusual traffic for this time of   
night, Iczel. Can I see them?} he sent.  
  
{They should be passing us in eight point four seconds from   
now, Sean,} Iczel responded. {You can get a look at them   
then.} Sean waited, then gawked as a car and several   
motorbikes rocketed by at over 200 kph. He was so absorbed   
by the speed that it took him a moment to realize that the   
bikers had been _attacking_ the car with bars and chains,   
and what looked like a sword! {Damn, a bike gang! After   
them, Iczel! Those guys can be as vicious as any Boomer, we   
can't let them hurt the people in the car!} With that, the   
team swooped off after the pack and its prey.  
  
Gibson was at the end of his rope. The Griffon had given all   
it had, but the motorcycles had kept pace and the riders   
were starting to smash at his car. It was only a matter of   
time before they broke something vital, and then they could   
have their way with him and Naomi. Desperation began to set   
in as one of the thugs jumped from his bike onto the   
Griffin's roof holding a sword of some kind... then there   
was a flash, a human figure passed overhead, and the   
gangster was gone, just plucked away. The bikers slowed to   
deal with whatever new opponent had arrived, and Gibson   
pulled away from them. He drove along to the next exit,   
shaking with reaction. He, and worse, *Naomi* could have   
been killed! After pulling off the highway, he looked back.   
There were flashes on the highway where the rider had been   
taken off the Griffon, and Naomi stopped trembling after a   
minute and looked back too.  
  
"Gib?" she asked in a shaky voice. "That man - will he be OK?"   
  
"I don't know, Naomi. I sure hope so, because I get the   
feeling that we owe him a lot."  
  
  
Sean was not enjoying himself. The Outriders were almost as   
dangerous to each other as to him, and trying to stop them   
without seriously injuring them was no picnic. He'd slammed   
the one he'd grabbed off of the car into a pillar a moment   
later, and he was still down, but the other nine or so were   
circling him like a pack of wolves. One charged, and Sean   
had a flash of inspiration. Instead of swiping at the rider,   
he grabbed at the bike and used his leverage to spill the   
driver. The victim got back up, but limped away. [OK, one   
down.] Two more bikers were tumbled this way before the   
leader pulled a glass bottle with a rag stuck in one end.   
As he lit the rag, Sean realized what it was. [Oh, great, a   
Molotov cocktail! Won't hurt me, but the splash could kill   
the other bikers! Think fast, Kai...] Sean had a desperate   
idea as the bottle came tumbling towards him. In a lightning   
motion, he pulled his beam sword and slashed, taking the rag   
off the bottle. He then turned and pointed the glowing yellow   
blade at the pack leader, and asked in a deep voice, "Still   
want to play, boys?"  
  
A few seconds later, the pack turned back the way it came,   
and as it roared off into the dark, Sean sighed in relief.   
{Iczel?} he sent. {Did you see where the car went? We ought   
to check and see if the driver's OK.}  
  
{Yes, Sean. I tracked the car to the next exit, where it   
has left the highway and stopped.} Not bothering to answer,   
Sean lifted off and zoomed over to the car's location. As   
he landed, he waved to the gawking occupants of the battered   
vehicle. [Hmph, they look like beached fish,] he thought. [I   
wonder if I looked like that when I first saw Iczel?]   
Finally, he called to the driver, who seemed vaguely familiar.  
  
"Hello in the car! Is everyone okay?"  
  
Gibson recovered enough presence of mind to speak. "Uh, yes,   
thank you, I don't think either of us is hurt. Um... Why did   
you help us back there?"  
  
"Well, because no one should suffer just for someone else's   
fun. If those jerks need to roughhouse to get their jollies,   
they should do boxing or wrestling or something like that,   
not pick on sweet cars on the highways. If you're both OK,   
then I'll get going. Be careful getting home!" And with   
that, Sean flew off.  
  
Gibson stared after the receding yellow-and-red figure until   
it dipped into the Fault Canyon. [I don't know who you were,   
but thank you for helping to protect my Naomi.] Then,   
remembering the man's suggestion, Gibson put the Griffon in   
gear and headed for his apartment.  



	2. Episode 2: Burn Up

Episode 2: Burn Up  
  
Some six weeks later, Sean was relaxing at home on the VR   
Game machine when Iczel called out to him. {*Sean!* We have   
a problem!}  
  
{Yeah, Iczel, what is it? Boomer on the loose again?} Sean   
shut down the game and leaned back to pull off the VR hood.   
[I've dealt with the toughest Boomers that could sneak   
around in a city, and even GENOM shouldn't be stupid enough   
to let Battle models loose here, so I don't understand the   
worry in Iczel's tone,] he thought to himself.   
  
Iczel's sending mocked his sense of security. {I gather from   
the A.D. Police frequencies that somehow two BU-12-B Battle   
Boomers have gone amuck during transit! They broke out of a   
transport truck in Tinsel City and the ADP Tactical Squads   
can't stop them!}  
  
{WHAT?!} Sean thought eloquently. {Dammit! Battle Boomers   
aren't even supposed to come within city limits, much less   
go nuts in the middle of town! Boy, some heads had better   
roll for this or I'll lose all faith in the ADP! Oh, never   
mind that now.} "CHARGING UP!"  
  
*** ***  
  
A few minutes later, Sean, in the Iczelion armor, was   
hurtling toward the site of the conflict, listening to the   
ADP broadcasts (Iczel having broken their codes while still   
working with Nagisa.) He was barely two blocks from the   
Boomers when he heard a chopper pilot mention dropping K-11   
Armored Troopers. {Oh, man, Iczel, two 12-B's will slaughter   
K-11's! Swords, please.} His energy blades dropped into his   
hands as the Boomers came into view. One fired its right-arm   
railgun at him, but he dodged easily. [Two quick slashes.   
This ends *right* *now,*] he thought. He flew between the   
Boomers at high speed and sliced out with his swords as he   
passed.  
  
Both slashes skittered off the head armor without penetrating.   
{WHAT THE!? Iczel, what the hell is going on?} Sean had   
seen the swords effortlessly cut through a foot of steel,   
which was far thicker than the head armor of the BU-12-B.   
  
Iczel took a moment to respond. {Scanning... Sean, the armor   
plate on these things is some kind of metal/ceramic composite.   
It's designed, I'd guess, to fend off energy weapons like the   
laser cannons of the modern battlefield. Since our swords use   
the 'cutting torch' high-energy method of penetrating   
matter...}  
  
{...They can't penetrate the heat-resistant armor. Just   
wonderful.} Sean finished. {Worse, since all our weapons are   
energy-based, we can't hurt it that much, can we?}  
  
{Well... not through the armor, no. We can still damage them,   
we'll just have to strike for vulnerable points.} Iczel   
replied. Sean frowned, then twisted in the air to both dodge   
the machinegun fire from the two Boomers and get clear of the   
charging K-11's. He climbed to rooftop level as the four   
battle machines - two piloted, two not - opened fire on each   
other. Then he winced as one of those apple-sized railgun   
slugs clipped a K-11 and it spun to the ground, the pilot   
disoriented.  
  
[Hey, hold that thought. Apple-sized bullet = apple-sized   
barrel = vulnerable point!] Sean thought in a sudden   
inspiration. Iczel 'sent' a worried cry as Sean dove directly   
into the line of fire. He pitched his right-hand sword in a   
throw as he passed the Boomer, then braked to a halt and   
looked back. The sword was nowhere to be seen.  
  
The K-11 pilot was less than impressed. "Hey, man, was that   
supposed to do something?" he asked over his loudspeaker.  
  
"Just watch," Sean responded. A moment later, the sword,   
which Sean had thrown up the railgun's barrel, detonated and   
took the BU-12-B's gun arm off at the elbow. "YES! We have   
achieved unilateral disarmament!" Sean cheered. The Armored   
Trooper was speechless. Sean called to him, "Okay! You take   
this guy down while I go see about his brother!" and took   
off, Iczel directing him to the running battle that the other   
K-11 and BU-12-B were fighting.  
  
*** ***  
  
Sylia was crouched behind the counter of the Silky Doll   
lingerie shop - her official business and cover location for   
the Knight Sabers' headquarters. A volley from a K-11's   
autocannon had thrown the last BU-12-B Battle Boomer through   
the store's front window, and without her hardsuit, there   
was little she could do about it. The war machine spun in a   
circle, firing its machinegun as it went, and the shower of   
bullets wrecked the shop. It then fired its railgun at its   
ADP tormentor, scoring a hit that knocked the Armored Trooper   
flat on its back. Malevolently the Boomer moved out into the   
street again, then turned toward the shop once more...  
  
"*Hey!* A good friend of mine shops here, you jerk!" came a   
cry from above. The voice was higher, less mature than it   
usually sounded, but Sylia's ice-clear memory identified the   
speaker as the mysterious Iczelion - an idea that was   
verified a moment later. The familiar yellow-and-red figure   
crashed down upon the Boomer, using his spherical force   
field like a battering ram and damaging the BU-12-B's sensor   
booms and flight system. He threw the Armored Trooper a   
thumbs-up as the Boomer limped off, and the officer returned   
the sign as he moved in pursuit. Iczelion, meanwhile, looked   
around the ruined shop. "Damn," Sylia heard him mutter, "the   
place is a wreck. I hope the owners have insurance." As she   
watched, he moved out to the street, then lifted up on his   
odd thrustless flight system and moved off after the Boomer.   
  
After a few moments, she and Mackie emerged from hiding.   
Sylia told her brother, "I believe that was the first time   
he's spoken in his natural voice. He sounds very young,   
perhaps Nene's age. When we can spare the time, correlate   
which of our shop's clients know capable fighters in that   
age group. Perhaps we can find out who this Iczelion is."   
The faint hope of allying with the mystery man and his   
supertech armor was hovering in the back of her mind, so she   
didn't notice how pensive Mackie looked. He didn't have his   
sister's perfect memory, but he had found the voice familiar   
too. He looked up as Sylia went back into command mode.  
  
"For now, though, Mackie, the Boomer is out of our hands.   
Start cleaning up the debris," she said with a sigh, "and   
have the others start helping when they arrive."   
  
*** ***  
  
Sean/Iczelion limped back into the basement of his house   
through the secret sewer tunnel Iczel used. He was feeling   
lousy. First, a railgun slug from the second Boomer had hit   
his outer shield, the spherical one, and had not only   
hurled him back into a highway support pillar, it had   
_penetrated_ the shield. If the shot had been a foot to the   
right, it would have hit him, and he would be nursing far   
worse injuries than bruised ribs. Then, while he was   
stunned, the second K-11 had moved into close quarters with   
the BU-12-B and both suit and Boomer were destroyed. The   
Armored Trooper pilot had been killed. Sean kept replaying   
the last minutes of the battle in his mind, looking for   
something he could have done to save the pilot.  
  
{Sean, you mustn't start feeling guilt for everything you   
can't prevent,} Iczel sent to her partner. {If you do, you   
might as well worry about all the world's problems at once.   
If we hadn't been there, many more people would have died   
tonight. Be happy for those who lived!}  
  
Sean gave a small smile as Iczel separated from him and   
reassembled herself. "You sound pretty wise. Do you read   
about philosophy on the Internet or something?"  
  
Iczel chose to reply audibly. "No, I went through the same   
problem with Nagisa. I just used the argument that worked   
with her." Sean burst out laughing. When he stopped, he was   
in much better spirits, and wobbled upstairs to grab a   
shower. Fighting Battle Boomers was sweaty work!  
  
*** ***  
  
It was the next day that everything went to pieces. Putting   
it all back together would take some time and would change   
Sean's life forever. It started when Iczel called to Sean...  
  
*** ***  
  
{Sean!} The voice of his partner echoed in Sean's head. {I   
just picked up the Knight Sabers again, in the same vehicle   
they used on the Kawasaki factory attack! They're headed for   
the GENOM Tower area again!}  
  
Sean cursed under his breath - he was still sore from   
yesterday's battle, and it looked like this could be serious.   
The last time Iczel had picked up the Knight Sabers like   
this, it had taken Iczelion and the Knight Sabers' combined   
efforts to destroy a Boomer built to take over the   
U.S.S.D.'s network of orbital particle-beam weapons. {I'm on   
my way down, Iczel. Keep tracking them and try to project a   
destination - we'll see if we can't beat them there.} As he   
reached the basement of his home, he cried out, "CHARGING   
UP!"  
  
*** ***  
  
Sylia and Nene, in their Knight Saber hardsuits, flew up to   
the summit of GENOM Tower, to see Brian J. Mason in an   
unfamiliar dark gray Armored Trooper battlesuit, with his   
55-C bodyguard beside him. Sylia called out to her father's   
killer.  
  
"This is the end of your little ambitions, Mr. Mason. You   
look like you've resigned yourself to that."  
  
Mason gave her a savage grin as his helmet closed. "What you   
see is the look of the victor. We stand upon the heights of   
GENOM, that look forward to my reign... and to becoming your   
gravesite." The 55-C set itself to charge at Nene, and   
Mason's suit raised one arm in a hand signal. Sylia tensed.   
This was a trap!  
  
In response to Mason's hand signal, the broken corpses of   
two BU-55-C's with sonic cannon chest units flew over an   
elevator shed to crash at Mason's feet. A voice echoed from   
behind the shed, "If you're calling for your backup band, I   
think they're - ah - 'indisposed'. You'll have to play this   
number solo." Iczelion, glowing faceplate and all, leaped   
up onto the shed's roof with his energy blades out.   
  
Sylia had seldom been so glad to see someone unexpected. She   
remembered the sonic weapons carried by the two Boomers he'd   
destroyed; he'd saved them when the high-pitched screech   
emitted from four of those Boomers had left the Knight   
Sabers helpless. Facing an unknown battlesuit in the kind of   
intense pain those weapons caused would have been fatal.  
  
Mason whirled, facing the new combatant as Iczelion spoke.   
"You, I take it, are Mr. Mason. Your ambush is history and   
you're outnumbered three to two. You should surrender now."  
  
Mason snarled. "You! You spoiled my plans twice, *little   
lion*, but not a third time. My battlesuit is the pinnacle   
of GENOM technology, and you cannot hurt it. I will destroy   
you!" With that, he whirled to aim his right arm at Sylia,   
firing two cannons that popped out of an armored compartment   
on his wrist. Sylia, expecting an attack, dodged, and the   
battle began...  
  
*** ***  
  
Sean, despite his confident air, was concerned. He'd arrived   
only minutes before the Knight Sabers - well, two of them   
anyway - and had rushed madly to destroy the sonic 55-C's   
before the battle began. His ribs were bothering him, and   
Iczel had scanned the armor on the battlesuit that the GENOM   
goon was using. It was the same composite as a BU-12-B's   
armor, meaning that none of Iczelion's weapons could hurt it,   
and from the last comment, the pilot knew it, too. Worse,   
those pop-open cannons made the sort of disarming shot he'd   
used yesterday impossibly hard. [I'll just have to let the   
Knight Sabers handle him,] Sean thought. Then, noticing that   
the BU-55-C had the pink-and-blue Saber in trouble, he   
leaped down to help.   
  
The Boomer had knocked down the hardsuit and was raising a   
fist over it as Sean arrived, cutting the Boomer in half   
with a diagonal swing of a beam sword. He told it, "I've   
said it before, and I'll say it again;" and the suit's pilot   
joined him to chorus "*That is NO way to treat a lady!*"   
Sean cracked up laughing, as did the smallest Knight Saber,   
while the Boomer collapsed. Sean turned to her. "We have to   
stop meeting like this! Why are you here after this Mason   
guy, anyway?"  
  
She paused for a second. "Well, he's behind some of the   
Boomer problems we've been having in MegaTokyo, and... OH   
NO!!" Sean spun around at her scream to see the white   
Saber - [I have to find out names or handles, I can't keep   
going by color,] Sean thought - land on a ledge that the   
gray armor shot out from under her. Then, as her jet wings   
sprang open, a second shot from the wrist cannons blew one   
wing off her armor. She landed safely, but Sean's heart   
sank as he saw how little room she had to maneuver. Then an   
inspiration came to him. [Hey!] he thought. [That Powered   
Suit's helmet has a big lens in it - probably the sensors!   
If I can spike that with a beam sword, it could blind him,   
and he'll have to give up!] Suiting action to thought, Sean   
circled to the right of the gray armor, lining up a throw.   
  
By the time he looked back at the battle, Mason had grabbed   
the white hardsuit by one arm and was prying at the helmet.   
[No more time,] Sean thought as the helmet 'cracked',   
[Gotta get him NOW!] He pulled back his arm and threw, sure   
almost at once that his aim was true...  
  
*** ***  
  
Sylia was desperate. She'd hit Mason's suit with her Knuckle   
Bombers and he'd barely flinched. As her helmet's outer visor   
cracked open, she extended her left-arm vibroblade, hoping   
to find an opening. Mason broke her helmet open, then opened   
his own.   
  
"Sylia," he said gloatingly. "I knew it." Then a translucent   
sword hissed through the air, passed over Sylia's head, and   
struck Mason in the right eye. A moment later, it exploded.  
  
*** ***  
  
[OH GOD, NO!] Sean thought. The idiot had opened his helmet   
in the middle of a battle, and Sean's sword... [Oh God, let   
him be alive,] Sean prayed as he dashed over to the gray   
armor. [I never meant to kill anyone! No one deserves to die   
before their time!] Sean reached the toppled armor and   
looked inside. "Ukkhh... Ohhh my Godddd....." He scrambled   
for a corner as his gorge rose, and his mind turned tight   
little circles as he vomited, then knelt quietly, conscious,   
but no longer aware of the outside world...  
  
*** ***  
  
Sylia moved over beside the kneeling, silent Iczelion. She   
put one armored hand on his shoulder, but got no response.   
She turned to Nene and the arriving Priss and Linna. "I   
think he's gone into psychological shock. We can't just   
leave him here, so we'll bring him back with us. Linna,   
Priss, carry him; Nene, assist me, please. Let's go home."  
  
*** ***  
  
Sean bolted awake in a cold sweat. [What a nightmare!] He   
thought. [I was helping the Knight Sabers, and I - I   
*killed* that Mason guy, and then...] the thought trailed   
off as he registered his surroundings. He was in a well-  
decorated bedroom that was either an apartment or a   
penthouse by the height of the view out of the large   
windows. In the street below was a work crew fixing an odd   
dent in the sidewalk... [Hey!] Sean thought. [That looks   
like the dent that BU-12-B put in the pavement when I dove   
down on it near the Silky Doll shop! No way... How did I   
get here? This is too weird.] His thoughts were interrupted   
by a sending from Iczel.  
  
{Sean! You're awake! You were so deep in despair that I had   
to separate from you! I thought you'd be comatose! Oh, I'm   
so glad you're all right!} Iczel drifted in from a side door,   
and Sean's thoughts darkened several degrees. [Oh, no,] he   
thought, [if Iczel's here, and separate, then not only did I   
really... really... k-kill someone, but the Knight Sabers   
know about me and worse, about Iczel! Oh, Sean, you have well   
and truly screwed it this time! Not that your sorrow can make   
any difference to that M-Mason...] Sean sat up, wrapped his   
arms around his knees, and quietly sobbed into the sheet.  
  
A new voice cut through Sean's misery. "Hey, what're you   
crying for? You saved a bunch of lives last night! 'Soldier,   
fighting to kill the wrong...'" Sean's head snapped up. He'd   
heard that voice singing at concerts - it _couldn't_ be...  
  
"Priss? _The_ Priss, from Priss and the Replicants? What in   
the world are _you_ doing here? I mean, I think this is..."   
Sean shut up: [She might not know that the Sabers are   
involved!] he thought.   
  
She finished for him. "Yeah, this is home to the Knight   
Sabers, and I'm one of them. So?" Sean just stared. She   
sighed, and continued, "I recognized your face from some of   
my nights at Hot Legs. You were in the front row getting   
bumped by a big A.D.P. goof, so since you were a fan I   
picked myself to cheer you up a bit. Never killed anyone   
before, have you?" she asked. Sean shook his head. "Sorry,   
that's always hard. I grew up on the streets, so at least I   
was familiar with death 'n violence. Still, I wouldn't be   
too sad about that scumbag Mason. He had it coming-" She   
was cut off as Sean erupted off the bed and shoved her up   
against the wall.  
  
"DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT!" he howled. "M-my father... was   
attacked and killed by muggers when I was five... The police   
caught them the next day, and they were LAUGHING... th-they   
said he fought back, so h-he had it c-coming...." Sean let   
go of Priss' collar and sank to his knees. His voice grew so   
quiet it was almost a whisper. "*Nobody* deserves to be   
killed. Whatever he did, did his parents deserve to lose a   
child? Did he have a wife, a family, who can thank me for   
the fact that he'll never come back? You see why I'm upset   
here?" He was looking down at the floor. Priss stepped away   
with a murmured apology, and walked to the door. Sean heard   
her exit as a set of quieter footsteps came over to him. An   
equally quiet voice spoke from behind him.  
  
"I appreciate your moral code, Sean Kai. And I also   
appreciate what you did last night. But to resolve your   
distress, I can offer you a question; can you tell me what   
would have happened if you hadn't tried to help me that   
night?"  
  
Sean thought for a moment, but didn't look up. "You, I   
suppose, are the pilot of the white hardsuit. I don't know:   
you always seemed to be very resourceful. You'd probably   
have escaped somehow."  
  
"No, Sean. I had already tried my best weapon on him and   
had no success, and his battlesuit was much stronger than my   
own. I believe I could well have died if you had not acted.   
Also, you didn't intend to kill him, did you? You meant to   
blow his sensor systems. If he hadn't opened his armor at   
that moment, would he be dead?"  
  
Sean sighed, blowing out what felt like a mountain of tension.   
"What you're saying is that (a) his death wasn't my fault,   
and (b) even if it was, it was him or you. I don't know you   
very well, but I agree - I would have chosen to save you if   
you and he were in deadly danger and I could only get one of   
you. I still feel guilty, but it's different from a   
deliberate murder, you're right. Thank you." Sean looked up...  
  
...Right into the eyes of Mackie's sister Sylia Stingray.   
Sean jumped. "Good grief, how many of the Knight Sabers did   
I know without knowing it?" As if in answer, Nene and Linna   
ran into the room.  
  
"We just heard he was awake! How is he - oh." Linna said. A   
strange look spread across her face. "I _knew_ it had to be   
you, Sean, after Iczelion trashed that Boomer with a German   
Suplex and you had a headache the next day! You smoothed y  
our way out of it, but only because I couldn't reveal I was   
a Knight Saber! You are one sneaky young man, you know that?"  
  
Sean looked stunned, then his face screwed into a grimace.   
"Linna! *You* are a Knight Saber? Oh, man, suplexing that   
Boomer was a dead giveaway!" As he stood up, he cocked his   
head at Linna. "No wonder you had a headache the day after   
that sonic Boomer ambush. You were down there! Let's see.   
Sylia pilots the white armor, this cute lady," indicating   
Nene with a salute, "is the right size to use the pink-and-  
blue armor, so you could either pilot the blue suit with the   
firepower or the green one with the blast punch and those   
ingenious cutting ribbons. Offhand, I'd guess... the blue   
suit!" Linna scowled at him, Nene laughed, and Sylia quietly   
smiled. Sean shied away from Linna's gaze. "I'm kidding.   
I'm kidding! Really, I was kidding!," he cried as she glared   
daggers at him.   
  
Nene got over the giggles and walked over to Sean, extending   
her hand to him. "I'm Nene Romanova. I do computers and   
electronics in the field, and I'm also a commtech with A.D.   
Police. I'm really pleased to meet you, especially since   
you've saved me twice. 'That is *no* way to treat a lady!'"   
Sean grinned at the quote. It was the first time he'd smiled  
since he'd awakened.  
  
"I'm Sean Kai, if you didn't know that already. My partner   
is called Iczel, and I am _very_ pleased to meet all of you.   
I have to wonder, though; why let me know? The fewer people   
who know a secret, the easier it is to keep, so why let me   
in on your identities?"  
  
It was Sylia who answered. "By the time we had returned to   
base, your emotional state had already forced Iczel to   
separate from you, so we knew who you were. Linna suspected   
before, but now we _knew_, so trading information was only   
fair. I think it's safe to say that we're on the same side.   
But before I finish answering that question, I would like   
to ask you, might we take you to dinner tonight as thanks   
for helping us?"  
  
Sean grinned. "I would like that very much, thank you. Where   
are we going?"  
  
Sylia smiled. "The five of us have reservations for tonight   
at the St. Regis Hotel's restaurant. Linna informs me that   
you do own formal wear, so you and she can go to your place   
to get ready."  
  
Sean had choked at the mention of the incredibly expensive   
St. Regis. "Uhm... Ackhem! Can you afford that?" he asked.   
Sylia just looked at him. "Dumb," he said after a moment.   
"You collect those huge fees that made me think you were   
'just mercenaries.' Of course you can afford it, or you   
couldn't stay in business as a team." Sylia smiled as Sean   
turned to Linna. "Now, sensei, as you have a vehicle and I   
don't, could you, as the lady suggests, convey me home so I   
can 'properly prepare for a dinner engagement'?" Linna   
chuckled at his affected tone and the two of them ribbed   
each other as they headed for the elevator.  
  
*** ***  
  
Later that night, the meal was just coming to a close, with   
Sean and Sylia seated across from each other and the other   
three spread out around the table. Sean had chosen to wear a   
blue suit that was an uncanny match for Sylia's ensemble.   
Both had protested (when asked by the other three) that they   
had not collaborated on outfits. Finally, after the dessert   
dishes had been taken away, Sean looked into Sylia's eyes   
and spoke.  
  
"All right, Sylia. There's been an odd tension at the table   
tonight, like everyone's expecting something. What's going   
on?" Sean was surprised to see the cool Sylia look away,   
[Almost as if she's getting ready to hide disappointment,]   
he thought.  
  
Sylia softly cleared her throat and began to speak. "I   
believe that the others are expectant because it was at   
dinners like these that I finalized their alliances with me   
to form... our organization."   
  
Sean paused for a moment to think. It only lasted long enough   
to recall all the feelings of kinship he'd had with Sylia,   
his trust of Linna, and his liking of the other Sabers. He   
also realized that she'd only explained what the other three   
thought - she hadn't made an offer. He decided to be cautious.   
"Um... Are they correct about the purpose of tonight, then?"   
he asked.  
  
Sylia looked down at her napkin. "Yes, they are. We - I -   
would like you to join us. There would be no intrusive study   
of your 'partner', either. Would you accept?" [I'm not   
usually this nervous - well, this shy,] Sylia thought. [It   
must be the wine I drank with the meal. I don't usually   
indulge, but tonight I wanted an emotional cushion in case   
he said 'no'.]  
  
Sean, in a move that astonished Linna, who knew him best,   
reached across the table and gently raised Sylia's head so   
she looked him in the eye. "I would be glad, and honored, to   
accept your offer, Sylia Stingray." At his words, her eyes   
lit up, so briefly that he wondered if he'd really seen it.   
Then she gathered herself and became the cool professional   
once again.  
  
"Excellent! I hope we have a long and enjoyable partnership,"   
she said. "I'll need to do some assessments, so if you could   
come by Raven's Garage tomorrow, we can get on with that.   
After that, we can arrange some group exercises to accustom   
you to working with the team, and see about financial   
arrangements. If that concludes our business here," and she   
signaled for the cheque, "we can return to our homes and get   
ready for tomorrow. Some of us will have a busy day!" Sean   
sighed, but he was grinning.   
  
Sylia looked at him and thought, [And if I can keep you busy   
for long enough, you might begin to recover from that shock   
you suffered saving my life. I can't say it aloud here,   
flying knight, but welcome to the Knight Sabers!]  



	3. Episode 3: Soldier Girl

Episode 3: Soldier Girl...  
  
Sean, in a form-fitting bodysuit, was walking into a   
rectangular chamber in the back of Raven's Garage. [Oh, well,   
at least now I know why Doctor Raven got too busy to fix my   
bike,] he thought. It had been just last night when he'd   
agreed to join the Knight Sabers, and when he'd come to the   
garage today, Sylia had said she wanted to assess his combat   
ability. Sean had suggested asking Linna, who had just come   
in, and Sylia and Linna had both laughed. Then Linna had   
explained about Sylia's holographic simulator and its ghostly,   
amorphous 'adversary'. Sean now knew that Linna could reach   
Level Seven, but had yet to exceed it, that Nene was stuck   
at Level Five, and Priss was at Level Six. No mention had   
been made of Sylia's level, which Sean thought fit the   
mystery woman perfectly.  
  
"Sean? We're ready to begin here," came Sylia's voice over   
the loudspeakers. "We'll start at Level One and work upward   
from there. The entire surface counts as a vulnerable   
point - just strike the 'adversary' to win. Ready?" Sean   
nodded to the one-way glass that Sylia and Linna were   
behind. "All right, begin!"  
  
*** ***  
  
Some fifteen minutes later, Sylia and Linna were watching as   
Sean challenged Level Six. He'd beaten Level One in seconds,   
and worked his way through Levels Two through Four with an   
almost casual ease. He'd simply evaded all the adversary's   
attacks until he got an opening, then struck. At Level Five   
he had needed to cope with only temporarily available   
vulnerable spots, but had slid under the adversary to hit   
the third available one. Now he was dodging and blocking six   
flailing limbs while watching for his chance to strike. A   
target point appeared, but it was on the far side of the   
adversary from Sean, so neither woman expected the level to   
end yet. Sean suddenly ducked a thrust he'd been preparing   
to block, leaped over a low sweep to land in a handstand,   
and swung a hook kick (that looked very familiar to Linna)   
into the target, 'killing' the adversary and completing the   
level. Sylia gasped. "Linna, where did he learn _that_?"  
  
Linna smiled at her friend. "Remember, Sylia, while he knows   
several conventional martial arts, he was originally training   
as a pro wrestler, the airborne kind with a lot of unorthodox   
moves. He's used that before, on a training Mannequin at the   
Fitness Bee." Sylia just looked at her. "Hey, it's true, and   
I watch wrestling - I've seen weirder moves."   
  
Sylia 'hrmphed' and turned back to the window. "Sean, Level   
Seven is ready. Are you prepared?" she asked.  
  
Sean looked to the glass. "Refresh... my memory. How... many   
opportunities will I... have here?" he panted.   
  
Sylia smiled. "I don't blame you for being confused. I was   
too, and so was Linna. At Level Seven, you will have four   
chances to strike, but each one will last only a few seconds,   
so don't waste any time. Ready?"  
  
"Anytime!" Sean called, though he was still breathing heavily.   
Sylia shrugged and pressed the 'engage' key...  
  
*** ***  
  
Sean was not happy. The level of the simulator seemed to be   
approaching the difficulty of the assassin Boomer that had   
almost killed him a few months ago in April, when he'd saved   
Irene from it. The adversary was now wickedly fast, with six   
attacking limbs and a reaction speed that nearly equaled his   
own. It had been two minutes since he had begun the level,   
and three chances to strike had already gone by. He could   
see why Linna hadn't passed this level yet. He jumped a sweep   
and twisted to evade two thrusts from the upper 'limbs', then   
landed and leaped back for breathing room. At that moment, a   
target dot drifted to the surface of the adversary, and Sean   
reversed his momentum, lunging back in with one arm extended,   
the hand stiffened into a spearpoint.   
  
He yelled in triumph as he connected on the dot... but it   
didn't break apart, and the adversary didn't dissolve. He   
looked down then, and saw that he had been hit twice in the   
torso on the way in. "*F##ing damn!*"  
  
Outside, Linna blushed. "Well, he certainly knows how to   
swear."  
  
Sylia was looking at the readouts. "He knows how to do more   
than that, Linna. Look at the recording." Linna stared down   
at the time readings of the hits. Sean's double leap had   
surprised the adversary, and the two thrusts it had thrown at   
him were a last-second reaction. By the readouts, less than   
a quarter of a second had passed between the adversary   
hitting Sean and Sean striking the vulnerable point. It was   
still counted as a defeat for Sean, but it was far closer to   
a draw. Sylia gave Linna a small smile. "I'd say someone   
needs to practice if she wants to stay on top."  
  
Linna was about to protest - she'd improved a lot since her   
last evaluation, after all - but Sean came out of the   
training room, still muttering under his breath.   
  
"I just wasn't *thinking!* If I'd only been alert, I could   
have twisted my torso on the way in and I'd have won! Damn!"   
he muttered. Then, looking up at the ladies, he asked, "So,   
how did I rate?"  
  
Sylia tore off a sheet of printout and looked at the results.   
Reading from the paper, she recited; "Your official maximum   
combat level is Level Seven, equivalent to Linna's last   
evaluation. Your scores are Arm Strength 8.0; Leg   
Strength 8.6; Running 7.2; Reflexes 8.1; Agility 8.2. The   
Reflexes and Agility scores are actually slightly lower than   
mine or Linna's; you've just learned to use most or all of   
what you have. You seemed to be somewhat faster while with   
your partner, so I have to assume that there is some sort   
of reflex-boost involved there. Overall, you are in excellent   
condition."   
  
Linna looked at Sean somewhat jealously. "Those are better   
scores than I got when I started out," she complained. "I   
thought _I_ was the sensei here." Sean turned red, rubbing   
the back of his head in embarrassment.  
  
"Well, Linna, I have been doing this for a few months.   
Fighting for one's life is a great incentive to practice."   
Still vividly embarrassed, Sean headed for the locker room.   
Linna stared after her student. After a moment, she broke   
into giggles.   
  
"I don't know if you'll get any more examinations out of him   
today, Sylia. He didn't even ask if you needed him for   
anything else before he headed for the showers!" she said   
after recovering her composure.  
  
Sylia sighed. "No thanks to you, Linna... but I did get all   
the data I needed. I had to know if he was suffering any ill   
affects from using an advanced form of a Synchro-system to   
control his armor in Iczelion mode. I should know by   
tomorrow, thanks to the sensors in the room." Sylia waved   
goodbye as Linna headed for the exit.   
  
*** ***  
  
Sean, back in his bed at home, twisted and turned in the grip   
of a nightmare. The darkened bedroom was filled with the   
sound of his moans and groans. Suddenly, he bolted awake,   
gasping and throwing his sheets off of him. It was a few   
moments before he recognized his surroundings and relaxed.   
  
[Another nightmare... this one wasn't real, thank God,] he   
thought. [That Mason guy... I've gotta find out more about   
him, maybe Sylia has some info... was in his armor, except   
with no headpiece. He was chasing me over this desolate l  
andscape, with craters and dead trees and red soil, and   
boxed me into a crater I couldn't climb out of. Then his   
head exploded, and his disembodied voice accused me of   
murdering him while he fired his arm guns, I remember   
getting hit... and then I woke up. Still, this is the least   
I deserve. I should've _run_ the sword in, way less risk   
that way...] Still thinking to himself, Sean laid back on   
his bed. Sleep was not even considered, but it found him   
anyway.  
  
*** ***  
  
The next day, Sean was in an unfamiliar place, pulling on   
combat fatigues. He walked out into Survival Shot's waiting   
room to see Priss and Linna there waiting for him. "It sure   
took you long enough!" Priss called.   
  
Sylia had arranged this excursion to get a look at how Sean   
worked as a team with the other Knight Sabers. He, Priss,   
and Linna were the attacking team, while Sylia and Nene were   
the defending team, having already gone into the paintball-  
style playfield to prepare their defenses. Each person got a   
paintball Uzi and several clips of ammunition, and a team   
with a handicap - lower numbers or lower skill levels - got   
some extras, but Sean couldn't remember the options Sylia's   
team had. Linna had told Sean when he arrived that she and   
Priss were usually the losing team despite having better   
combat skills than the team of Sylia and Nene. Sylia had an   
uncanny talent for anticipation.   
  
"So," Sean asked, "what's our strategy?"   
  
Linna stared into space for a few seconds, then answered,   
"We stick together and use covering maneuvers to get into   
the building. Sylia usually holes up on the second floor, so   
we work our way up there and try to box them into a room. I   
don't want to pay for lunch *again*!"   
  
Sean had to smile. As an incentive to perform, the losing   
team paid for a meal at the restaurant on the floor below   
the playfield. He had a sneaking feeling, though, that he   
was going to be footing a third of the bill...  
  
*** ***  
  
"Sean, do you always have so many desserts?" Sylia asked. She   
was not pleased at being on the losing team, and Linna and   
Priss were encouraging their teammate to stuff himself. She   
had used Nene in a sacrifice gambit and lured Linna into   
stepping on a land mine ("Lift your foot, and it goes off,")   
while Sylia shot Priss. But Sean had dived out from cover   
and had made a moving target of himself. Sylia had shot him...   
but Linna, who had not yet lifted her foot, had shot Sylia,   
and the game 'officially' ended when one team had no   
surviving members. Linna had survived, it didn't matter that   
she would 'die' the moment she moved. Sylia's team had lost,   
and now she and Nene were going to share the bill for the   
meal, including Sean's fifth dessert of the night.  
  
"Actually, Sylia," Sean answered her, "I'm rewarding myself   
right now. I was behind Priss when you shot her, and the idea   
of sacrificing myself came to me when Priss complained that   
you sacrificed Nene. Linna caught on, and here we are!" He   
grinned. "Besides, after the St. Regis' bill, this shouldn't   
seem so bad."  
  
Sylia frowned. "Yes, it's just that..." she let her voice   
trail off.  
  
Nene joined in. "The jobs have stopped coming, haven't they?   
Well, no jobs for us means..."  
  
Priss got a sour expression as she commented, "...Peace on   
earth? Yeah right."  
  
Linna looked mildly upset. "But no work is no good. I need   
to get some new clothes, fix my car..."   
  
Sean grinned at Linna as he swallowed a mouthful of cake.   
"Sensei, did you toast *another* van?"  
  
"It's not *my* fault! They keep breaking down!" Linna   
responded. "Besides, the new models are just coming out."  
  
Sean's grin got a little bigger. "You go through cars and   
boyfriends like Priss goes through motorcycles." Sylia's   
expression became bemused.   
  
"That reminds me, Sean: Mackie wants you to go down to   
Raven's Garage and take a look at something from, and I   
quote, 'a friend of a friend'. I tried asking him what it was   
about, and he went silent except to hum 'Burning Highway'."  
  
Sean looked thoughtful. "Hmm. I wonder what Mackie wants now.   
Hey, Priss, you like motorcycles, d' you want to come with me   
to see what's up?"  
  
Priss, who'd been looking annoyed since Sean's earlier   
wisecrack, lightened up. "Hey, great! I needed a tankful of   
Raven Special anyway; I'll drive by tomorrow afternoon." Sean   
grinned at her.  
  
"OK! I'll see you there, and on that note I think I'll head   
out, since _I_ am not part of settling the bill. Better luck   
next time, Sylia!" And with that, Sean headed for home.  
  
*** ***  
  
That night, he bolted awake in a cold sweat. [AAAHH!], he   
thought. [Mason again! Only this time, he didn't shoot me,   
he kept saying I was no different from him or his weapons,   
and there was blood on my hands and Iczel and I turned into   
a Boomer and went toward the Ladys 633 building where Sylia   
and Mackie work... Oh man, am I ever glad I woke up then.]   
Calming down slightly, he thought, [I suppose I deserve   
this. I'm glad this is the worst I get for the killing,   
though. I wonder why I'm not as bothered about it as I   
was... maybe because of all my thinking about what makes a   
person. Iczel certainly turned my world around in more ways   
than one. Yeah... sure did...] Less disturbed, Sean drifted   
off to sleep.  
  
*** ***  
  
The next afternoon, Sean hitched a ride with Priss down to   
Raven's Garage. It would have been a long walk otherwise:   
public transit didn't go into the Canyons. Sean was almost   
wishing he _had_ walked by the end, though; Priss' bike had   
a small seat, and she teased him unmercifully about "wanting   
to get closer." Sean had learned what it was all about some   
time ago, but he was flushed bright red by the time the pair   
arrived at the Garage. Mackie was standing by a *huge*   
motorcycle off to one side, and the two riders walked over   
to him.   
  
"Hi Mackster!" Sean called. "Is this what you wanted me to   
see? Looks a bit bulky."   
  
Mackie shrugged. "Actually," Mackie replied, "This is the   
Highway Star, a pet project of mine. It's not the reason I   
called you here, though. That's in the back room, off to   
one side." As Mackie talked to Priss about his pride and   
joy, Sean walked into the back room. A motorcycle was   
covered up in the center of the room, so Sean walked over   
and whipped the cover off.  
  
And there, showing no sign of the impalement and clawing it   
had received in April from an assassin Boomer it had run   
into, was Sean's custom motorbike, the Mackiecycle. Only   
one thing was different - the bike was now colored in a   
yellow-and-red pattern that reminded Sean of Iczelion.   
[What the...]  
  
A quiet voice spoke from behind him. "Dr. Raven mentioned   
that you'd lost the bike while trying to save someone from a   
Boomer. I was recently helped by someone who fights Boomers,   
but I have no way to repay him. This is sort of a 'thank you   
for caring.'" As Sean turned, there behind him was J.B.   
Gibson, Dr. Raven's favorite protege, in a mechanic's apron.   
Suddenly, Sean thought back to July and the couple he had   
saved from the motorcycle gang. [No way,] he thought, [It   
couldn't have been...] His musings were interrupted by a   
loud crash from the main garage, Dr. Raven saying "Ippon!"   
('One point!') and Mackie groaning.   
  
He bowed quickly to Gibson, saying, "Thanks - this means a   
lot to me," and then ran out to see a dismayed Priss   
standing beside an overturned Highway Star. Sean walked over   
to where Mackie was sobbing on his knees.  
  
"Mackie, if *Priss* can't handle it, I think you _may_ have   
made the bike a bit too powerful..."  
  
*** ***  
  
Once again, Sean bolted awake in the middle of the night.   
[Good God, this has to stop.] Sean thought. [Mason again,   
this time standing beside me as I was tied to some kind of   
throne and watching as people were led in front of me and   
asking me if each one should live or die. All the ones I   
spared did horrible things and the ones I said should die   
screamed about me playing God... Oh, man. I am seriously   
messed up. I need to sleep - but not yet. I think I'll go   
get a snack... maybe if I bribe it with food, my subconscious   
will let me rest.]  
  
*** ***  
  
Almost a month later, in October, Sean was checking his   
morning E-mail. As he worked, he thought, [Well, Linna   
telling the Knight Sabers about my birthday last week was a   
nice surprise. With the emphasis on *surprise*,] he thought   
wryly.   
  
The phone call asking him to Sylia's penthouse had been   
unexpected, as was finding the place dark. When he'd turned   
on the lights, all the Sabers (including Mackie) had jumped   
out and yelled "SURPRISE!" They'd almost had to peel Sean   
off the ceiling, but the party had been fun. Sylia had   
surprised him with a peck on the cheek - [What's with her   
lately?] Sean thought.   
  
He looked down at his E-mail list. [Hmm. Spam, Spam, Spam, a   
hello from Nene, Spam, a billing notice - I'd rather have   
Spam - hey, what's this? The address is from Sylia's private   
computer! Hmm, I wonder what she wants...] He opened the   
large file and began to read it. It was very disjointed, but   
it seemed to start out with a personal diary entry saying   
that Sylia felt she was getting too personally involved with   
'the new member' and worried that it might affect her   
leadership to care this much about one team member. The   
rest...  
  
...Sean finished ploughing through the mass of disjointed   
files and sat back, mind reeling. [Oh, man,] he thought. [If   
I'm reading this right, Sylia is starting to really care   
about me but the older files - the ones dating from 2031 -   
implicate that Dr. Stingray... 'changed' Sylia somehow! Why   
would she send me this stuff?! If she was going to tell me,   
why not face-to-face!? And if it wasn't *her*, who or what   
could have sent the file from *Sylia's* address?!? Man, I   
better go talk to her...]  
  
*** ***  
  
Later, Sean walked into the penthouse at Ladys 633 and looked   
around. Seeing only Mackie, Sean walked over to his friend.   
"Mackie! Hi, um, listen, I gotta talk to Sylia. Is she here?"  
  
The younger Stingray looked up. "Hi, Sean. She's out right   
now. You can get her tomorrow-"  
  
"No, Mackie. NOW. Or as soon as possible. This is really   
important from both a personal and - ahem - 'business' point   
of view. If she's not here, where can I find her?"  
  
"Uhm... Sean... I don't know her schedule for today... but   
you _can_ find her this evening at the big cemetery. It's   
the anniversary of, y'know..."   
  
Sean cursed inside as he remembered that Dr. Katsuhito   
Stingray - the father of both Sylia and Mackie - had died   
eleven years ago to the day.   
  
"Sorry. Yeah, OK, I'll let you be. Just check the _private_   
computer, will you? You may have had an unauthorized access."   
Leaving Mackie openmouthed, Sean turned and stalked out of   
the penthouse.  
  
*** ***  
  
That evening, as Sylia was walking back to her car from   
visiting her father's grave, she was surprised to find a   
perturbed Sean waiting beside her Mercedes-Benz replica. He   
looked up as she approached.  
  
"Hi, Sylia. Um, I have to ask, could you come with me to my   
place? I got a _weird_ E-mail today and I think you need to   
see it." Now Sylia was worried - Sean was as stiff as a board.   
He'd _never_ been that nervous around her before, which was   
why she found herself able to lower her emotional barriers in   
his presence.   
  
"Certainly, Sean. If you will lead the way?" Sean swung onto   
his motorcycle and drove ahead of her. Soon they had arrived   
at Sean's suburban house. After walking upstairs in silence,   
Sean brought up an E-mail on his computer and motioned her to   
sit in the chair and read. As she read, she realized what   
must have happened, and she went white.  
  
[The Skorpion 19,] she thought. A semi-aware mecha that had   
been part of a 2031 operation to kidnap rumored 'advanced   
intellects' created by GENOM, it had discovered that Sylia   
had been enhanced by her father to battle GENOM's certain   
abuse of his Cyberdroids. The Knight Sabers had been mauled   
in the final confrontation of that saga, but the Skorpion's   
human operator/partner had been killed, and Sylia had taken   
the head and memory files of the mech and used its   
incredible infiltration of the Tokyo Net to aid her   
operations. Now a program it had obviously implanted into   
her computer had deduced from her log entries that she cared   
for - [Admit it, Sylia, _loved_] - Sean Kai and had sent him   
this information to destroy their relationship, as a final   
revenge. [And now, it's too late to do anything about it.]   
She shivered. [I may as well tell him now - it can't do any   
more harm.]   
  
Shutting off the computer, she began to speak, hearing   
herself in a detached sort of way. Her voice telling Sean of   
her alteration, and of Mackie's, about the near-disaster with   
the Skorpion, and how the E-mail came to Sean's attention.   
Finishing, she stood shakily and turned to leave - Sean would   
almost certainly need time to think this over--   
  
"Sylia, don't go!" he cried. She turned to him and saw no   
signs of distress.  
  
"Sean... don't you need time to think about this? About me?"  
  
Sean gave her a serious look. "I've thought about this sort   
of thing a lot since Iczel came into my life, Sylia Stingray.   
I don't *need* time for this. You shut your eyes and stand   
right there, and I'll make it clear exactly how I feel." She   
dimly worried about that statement - was he going to hit her?   
Her shock and the resulting detachment made it hard to care,   
though, and she shut her eyes. She could still hear him,   
though, pacing back and forth as if nervous or angry.   
Finally, he came to a sudden stop in front of her, and she   
felt his hands move over her shoulders - [Is he going to   
strangle me?] she thought - and something pressed over her   
mouth. But it wasn't smothering her, it-- he--   
  
He was kissing her, holding her close and kissing her! [My   
God,] she thought wildly as her eyes flew open, [he knows,   
he knows and he still cares about... still loves... me...]   
She stopped thinking things through at that point. Just for   
once, she let the barriers down, perhaps for the first time   
since she was mentally enhanced. She kissed him back, held   
him tight, and as they broke the clinch, she stared into his   
eyes. [If only for one night,] she thought, [I want to love,   
and be loved, and have no other cares in the world.]   
  
As if he had heard her, Sean slowly began to walk toward his   
bedroom, with Sylia still in his arms.  
  
Iczel, down in the basement, turned toward a wall and closed   
down her mental link with Sean as much as she was able. Years   
ago, Nagisa had made it very clear that there were _some_   
times a person wanted to be alone with someone, and this   
seemed like one of those times. However, as it had been with   
his mother, some of Sean's thoughts filtered through.   
  
{Ohhh, **SYLIA!**}  
  
*** ***  
  
The next morning, Sean woke to the sun shining in his window.   
[Hmm,] he thought, [I usually close the drapes. Must have   
been tired last night.] As was his custom, he slowly   
stretched.   
  
And abruptly stopped as he brushed against another warm body   
under the covers with him. For an instant, [Wha-] was all he   
could think, and then memory came flooding back. Yesterday --   
the Email -- confronting Sylia -- her confession -- the full   
realization of his feelings for her as he saw her so   
vulnerable -- the kiss -- and then -- and then --  
  
[Oh, man.] he thought *very* quietly to himself, as if afraid   
that even thinking too 'loudly' would wake her. [I hope I did   
the right thing here. I _do_ love her - I understand that   
now - but she may feel I took advantage of her confusion. Oh   
well, better make her waking as pleasant as I can... ahem,   
short of 'that', of course,] he finished with a blush.   
  
Concentrating on 'sending,' he called to his partner. {Uhm..   
Iczel?} As the feeling of 'contact' washed over him, he   
continued. {Sylia- err- spent the night here, and I can't get   
out of bed without disturbing her. Could you maybe start   
breakfast? I can tell you where the food is and what to do...}  
  
Sylia stirred in the bed beside Sean. "That's nice of you,   
Sean, but it's really not necessary."  
  
Sean looked down and replied, "Oh. Well, all.. right...   
then...." his voice trailed off.   
  
Sylia looked up at him. "Sean? What's the matter?"  
  
"Sylia, I was 'sending', not speaking aloud. Did you *hear*   
me?"  
  
"Quite clearly. Are you sure you didn't speak?"   
  
Sean paused, then pressed his lips together. {Absolutely.}   
  
Sylia's eyes widened in shock. "You didn't speak... but I   
didn't exactly _hear_ you either. It was more like the   
memory of you saying something. Interesting."  
  
"That's not what I'd call it. *Do you think I've become   
telepathic?!?*"  
  
"It's obviously a possibility. There is a way to test it,   
though. Try to call Linna. You know her quite well and if   
you are a telepath in the usual science-fiction sense, you   
should be able to contact her."  
  
Sean concentrated for several minutes but without success.   
"Nope. No reply, no 'contact' feeling, nothing."  
  
"Then it may be because I was intellectually enhanced. Try   
to contact Mackie."  
  
More concentration, and another failure. "Hmm," Sean said.   
"There's one other possibility, Sylia. I've read several   
stories that described two people discovering both strong   
feelings for each other and the ability to communicate   
mentally. It fits - Iczel is, I would say, my closest friend   
on Earth, but it wasn't until we were friends that I could   
'send' to her from farther than across a room. You - I -   
we - um," he trailed off, turning pink. Sylia finished the   
thought for him.  
  
"We are in love, and now your 'link' has been expanded to me   
too? It does seem to fit the facts. We can test that   
hypothesis later. You mentioned breakfast to Iczel, and I   
think that would be an excellent idea - after we get dressed,   
of course." Sean went from pink to crimson. He turned away   
as Sylia recovered her clothes from beside the bed where   
they had been dropped. After she was dressed, he pulled on   
his own clothes and went downstairs to help prepare a meal.  
  
*** ***  
  
Later that morning, Sean accompanied Sylia to Ladys 633,   
where she went up to the penthouse and _very_ thoroughly   
separated the head of the Skorpion 19 from her system and   
then wiped all programs it might have influenced.   
  
Explaining to Mackie about where his sister had been last   
night was also notable. Mackie's reaction, despite his usual   
hentai urges, had been what you might expect from a brother,   
and Sean had spent several minutes evading Mackie's wrench   
until the younger Stingray finally calmed down. Mackie had   
then declared that he was going down to Raven's Garage and   
left. Once they were alone, Sylia took the opportunity to   
ask Sean a question.  
  
"Sean, you said last night that you didn't need time to   
think about me. Did you realize that I might not be human   
anymore? That I may be more Boomer now than human?" Sean   
turned around to face her.   
  
"Sylia, I told you last night that I've thought a lot about   
this since Iczel came into my life. I finally came to the   
conclusion that just being 'human' isn't enough to make   
someone a *person.* I wasn't sure at first what it _did_   
take, but Iczel was obviously a person, so humans didn't   
have a monopoly on being people. I read and reread my old   
science-fiction novels to help find an answer, but a lot   
of them were just gobbledygook, and once I read your files   
on Mason a few weeks ago I realized I was looking for more   
than just sentience or intelligence. Mason was a smart   
s.o.b., but I don't think of him as a _person_ anymore. It   
wasn't until after realizing this that I figured out what   
I was looking for." He paused for a moment, and Sylia   
waited patiently. After a few seconds, Sean continued.  
  
"To be a person, you have to care. You have to really care   
about someone or something other than yourself. And Mason   
didn't; he was all 'me, me, me.' If someone, be they human,   
Boomer, or strange artificial life from outer space,"   
  
{HEY!} Iczel sent indignantly;   
  
"...cares about others and has human intelligence, then they   
are a person in my book. And Sylia, you care. I've talked to   
Linna, and I know you timed your offer to join the Knight   
Sabers to pull her out of an emotional low after she was   
washed out of that dance audition. You tried to keep me too   
busy to think about how I killed Mason," [and would have   
succeeded if not for my nightmares,] he added silently, "and   
you deploy the Sabers for free to save lives from Boomer   
attacks. You care, Sylia, and you are not just a person,   
you're the best one I know. And physically, well, (ahem)...   
you're human enough for me," he finished with a light blush.  
  
Sylia was astonished. "You *have* thought it through! I   
never carried it to that conclusion, but I never had the   
evidence of an alien individual to add to my consideration."   
Sean's blush deepened.   
  
"It took me months and the realization that not all humans   
deserve to be thought of as 'people' to get me to the   
conclusion. I admit, the news of your 'alteration' was a   
surprise, but I had been thinking about that all day.   
Besides," and he laughed, "I don't suppose *I* qualify as   
an unaltered human any more." Switching to 'sending', he   
called, {Isn't that right, Sylia?}  
  
She laughed quietly. {Yes, I suppose you're right. You _can_   
hear me, correct?,} she replied silently.  
  
{Yes. I guess that confirms a two-way link. Oh, man, what   
will we tell the others about this?}  
  
{The truth. Fargo called to say he has job offers lined up,   
so when one is finalized I'll call a meeting and we can tell   
them then.}  
  
Sean spoke aloud. "I guess that's okay. Well, I guess I'll   
see you later. I look forward to my first mission as a   
Knight Saber!"  



End file.
